AUSTRALIA ANIMALS

There are many different species of wildlife in Australia, some in fact unique to this country. Marsupials are the most successful group of animals in Australia. This group includes kangaroos, wallabies, koalas, Tasmanian devils, wombats, and many others. The platypus and the echidna are egg-laying mammals. There are also numerous unique species of birds such as cockatoo, kookaburra, lyrebird, the flightless emu.

Let's have a look at some unique animals/birds of Australia:

Koala - The Koala is a marsupial that lives and eats on treetops. The name koala, comes from an Aboriginal meaning "no drink". The Koala obtains enough moisture from the eucalyptus leaves that it lives on.

The Red Kangaroo is Australia's largest kangaroo of the nearly 60 species in the kangaroo family. It dwells in "Red Centre" the arid portion of Australia. They normally move in groups ranging from a few dozen to several hundred individuals. and are known as Mobs.

The Quokka is a small marsupial. The Quokka sleep during the day in the shelter of dense vegetation, and at night get active. Found plentifully on Rottnest Island off Perth.

Tasmanian Pademelon:

Found only in Tasmania, the most unique aspect of this animal, is the "runways" they make in the ground vegetation It is a nocturnal animal sleeping during day.

Brushed Tailed Possum - This is a large possum with a greyish fur and a dark tail. They eat Eucalyptus leaves, fruits.

Wombat - Wombats have a long nose, small eyes and a body covered in grey fur. Wombats mainly eat at night and can be seen in the early hours of daylight.

The Galah is a grey and pink cockatoo, very active and noisy with a shrill call. Their faces have a pink eye ring.

Sulfur Crested Cockatoo - This cockatoo has a large, white body with a large yellow crest on the top of its head. They are in mostly all parts of Australia. They eat seeds and berries.

Platypus - This is one of Australia's most unusual animals that have long snouts, sharp poisonous claws and a brownish body. They swim in the water and also go on land.

Emus are found throughout Australia from scrubland to grassland to desert areas but not in Rainforests. A flightless bird, there is only one species of Emu, which is the worlds’ 3rd largest bird behind the Ostrich and Cassowary.

The Kowari is a ground dwelling carnivorous marsupial, living either in its own dug burrow or in the hole of another mammal. When approached, Kowari are very aggressive with much hissing and thrashing of its tail.

Spotted Cuscus along with its more common "brother" the Grey Cuscus is a type of Possum. The Spotted Cuscus in Australia, is limited to the tip of Cape York, thus it is a rare animal to see as it is also very shy and being nocturnal it sleeps most of the day crouched in a branch.

Dugongs are marine mammals that live in the shallow warm waters of northern Australia. Dugongs have tusks. The shape of the dugong's tail is similar to that of a dolphin.

The numbat is a small marsupial and is found only in a small area of Western Australia. It is the only marsupial that feeds only on insects.

If you want to know more about exotic Australian animals/birds, in fact a lot of them are becoming endangered species, then check out the website…...www.kidcyber.com.